Lot 18 Relaunches as a Customized Wine Club

Lot 18 was once one of many in a sea of “flash sale” websites focused on deep wine discounts. That business model didn’t pan out, so Lot 18 went back to the drawing board. The result was a new plan and a partnership with TastingRoom.com (which we’ve covered here a few times), which was also experiencing some growing pains. Lot 18 ended up acquiring the company and combining the two into a unique kind of wine club.

Here’s how it works: Sign up for a $9.95 introductory tasting kit and Lot 18 sends you a six-pack of 50ml minis which you use to “calibrate” your palate. In the kit (at present): A Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, two Pinot Noirs, a Merlot, and a Zinfandel. Using Lot 18’s website, you walk through the wines and tell the site which ones you like best. A little tech voodoo puts you into a category with the company uses to select which wines it will send you in its quarterly shipments — $85/case for your first one, then $149/case (plus $20 shipping) thereafter.

Interesting stuff, and Editorial Director Eric Arnold walked me through the setup at Drinkhacker HQ. I thought the overall approach was solid and certainly better than the usual “I like whites” or “I like reds” questionnaire… although it’s terribly difficult to distill someone’s entire palate in just two whites and four reds. The description of my palate was only about half right (there are only a handful to choose from, after all), but when my wife walked through the same setup, hers was way off. Still, it’s an interesting way to get started — and Lot 18 says you’ll be able to sub wines in and out of your case to fine-tune your shipments over time.